Page 4 of Jack

“It’s kind of late notice. Doesn’t the tour start tomorrow?”

“Yes, and yes but this only just came through as a request from Fitz.”

“Well, I can hardly say no to that can I? But I’ll require something from you in return.”

He knew this was a mistake but asked anyway. “What do you want, Astrid?”

“A favour of my choice whenever I ask it.”

That sounded like a whole lot of trouble to him and not something he’d generally grant, but she had him by the short and curlies, and he knew it. “Fine but you attend the entire tour and work under me as your line manager, not Roz.”

“Done.”

He’d expected an argument on the last point and was surprised when she agreed so readily and realised she’d tricked him. “She already spoke to you, didn’t she?”

“About thirty minutes ago.”

He fought the urge to swear and was secretly impressed with Zenobi but would never admit it, even under torture. They worked together on occasion now, even though he still believed they were loose cannons and dangerous.

“We need to go over the details. Are you free?” He wanted it done at Eidolon to be sure it was secure.

“I just got out of the shower and I’m dripping wet, so give me an hour. A girl likes to have a bit of me-time if you know what I mean.”

Jesus fucking Christ she was going to be the death of him. Now all he could see was her lying on her bed naked, her wet hands between her legs, and that was precisely what she’d intended.

“Sure. In fact, why don’t we leave it until after four and you meet me here?”

“Sure, that gives me and BOB some more time to work the kinks out.”

“Goodbye, Astrid.”

He hung up, his breathing slightly out of whack as his heart raced at the images she’d forced through his brain with her audacious admissions. The fact was, she was probably working out and torturing him with visions that weren’t happening. Although, as he thought of her sweaty and running on the treadmill, he realised his dick was just as happy with that image as the naked version it seemed.

Walking to the kitchen, he poured himself the last of the coffee from the pot and drank it, wincing as it burned his throat before going to the gym and working out his frustrations. He had a shit tonne to get done, including a visit to his mum before he left for eight weeks, a call to make to Zack Cunningham, and he needed to go over the plans one more time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. His biggest fear was his father finding a gap in his security and following through on his attempt to kill the Queen and overthrow the Monarchy.

After a gym session and a shower where he strictly refused to allow any thoughts of that irritating woman into his head, he made his way back to his office.

Jack spent the next four hours going over and over the plans for the first four stops on the Royal Tour of the Commonwealth before finally, his stomach reminded him it was time to eat. He was surprised to find it was already three-thirty in the afternoon, so he made his way to the kitchen. The fridge was pretty bare, thanks to most of the team being away for the next eight weeks, but there was enough for a sandwich, so he quickly made himself a turkey salad sandwich and grabbed some crisps, fruit, and a bottle of water before heading back to his office.

He was just tossing the core of the apple into the bin when the alert on his watch told him someone was at the gate. He glanced at the monitor and saw Astrid Lasson waiting for him to let her inside. It was tempting to make her wait, but the blasted woman would probably leave, and he’d have to chase her down.

He clicked the gate and continued to watch her as she walked through, making him wonder where her car was. She was tall and slim, with curves in all the right places. Her snug black jeans clung to her ass. Her biker boots and leather jacket should have made her look aggressive and unfeminine, but on her, it was the furthest thing from the truth.

She was sexy as hell with her blonde hair cascading down her back and her sexy smile that made him think of every sinful situation he could and how he could pry her secrets from her, and she had them. Her secrets were so deep it would take months, maybe even years, to find them all.

He knew some thanks to Will, but those weren’t the ones he wanted. He needed to know what made her tick, and that was dangerous because he had the feeling she’d want his secrets in return, and that wasn’t happening—ever.